DMC hospital's Medicare contract was in jeopardy for most of 2018

Detroit Medical Center's Sinai-Grace Hospital was in jeopardy of losing its Medicare contract for most of 2018 due to issues with nursing care and building safety, according to federal reports cited by The Detroit News.

CMS requested inspections of the hospital after receiving a substantiated complaint in early 2018. Investigators from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs visited Sinai-Grace on behalf of CMS in February and found serious lapses in wound care. In one instance, a patient died from a bedsore that became infected after insufficient treatment over several hospitalizations, according to the report.

In March, the agency revoked Sinai-Grace's Medicare-compliant status for nursing care. While a follow-up inspection in April noted improvements in nursing care, investigators found "significant" infection control issues, fire code violations and other problems with the building. These findings caused the hospital to lose Medicare compliance for building safety that same month.

Sinai-Grace submitted a plan of correction and a schedule for building repairs to CMS, which allowed the hospital to regain Medicare compliance Sept. 19.

"Sinai-Grace Hospital addressed all findings identified during the surveys, and on September 19, 2018, received a letter from the [CMS] that the hospital was in compliance with all safety requirements," DMC said in a statement to The Detroit News. "We work collaboratively with state and federal agencies to resolve all findings identified during any survey process."